People are often afraid of what they do not know or understand. They also frequently misunderstand that with which they are not familiar. This becomes especially apparent when listening to denominational preachers, or perusing some of their websites, which attempt to denounce the church of Christ. It usually doesn’t take long to identify blatant errors in their arguments and gross misrepresentations in their “facts.” They simply misunderstand what the church of Christ is about, where it came from, and what it practices. Personally, I find it rather humorous and ironic that a supposed “Bible scholar” of a denomination would ever attempt to fault a church that so openly states it bases everything it stands for on book, chapter, and verse of the Bible. One would think that those supposed scholars would have an appreciation for such a Biblical approach. Yet, they don’t understand what they don’t know.

Paul dealt with this same issue during his time, also. He contended with those who desired “to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm,” (1 Timothy 1:7). He encouraged the faithful to, “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart,” (Ephesians 4:17-18). We can see from these passages, this isn’t a new problem!

For example, one such website, “Church of Christ Exposed!” stated that our headquarters was based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The web page also cited, Mead’s Denominational Handbook, which claims that the Church of Christ began in 1832 (also known then as the Christian Church and Disciples of Christ). However, both claims are based on faulty premises. No church of Christ, that practices New Testament Christianity, claims to have an earthly headquarters, nor having begun in 1832. The fact is this, we are simply trying to follow the example of the first century Christians as described in the Bible, nothing more, nothing less. We are not a new church, we are a continuation and replica of the original church. The church of Christ, as seen in the New Testament, is composed of the saved, gathered into autonomous congregations that make up the “body of Christ,” with Jesus as the head (Colossians 2:18). The Bible teaches there is no headquarters, nor a supreme leader upon this earth. That’s what we practice! The church Jesus established 2000 years ago is called the “church of Christ” (Romans 16:16). We did not begin in 1832, we began around AD33.

What’s not to understand? If you have all the blueprints and details for a house that was constructed some 2000 years ago, could you not build that same exact house, to the same exact specifications and size as the original house – anywhere, at anytime in history? Why, YES, you certainly could. That is what we strive to do within the church of Christ. Furthermore, if Ephesians 4:4 is correct in that “there is one body and one faith,” then the multitude of denominational churches, with all their different traditions and doctrines, cannot possibly be the right church. We shouldn’t be surprised they don’t understand. Jesus said, “The gate is narrow and difficult is the way that leads to life and there are few who find it,” (Matthew 7:13,14).